Painfully A Parent, or, Bad Company

You know how every fifteen years or so, you’ll be at the comic shop and see that Marvel has quietly dumped a Rom: Spaceknight special into stores (while omitting the actual character of Rom: Spaceknight, because no way is Parker Brothers gonna let go of that hot property), and you wonder who was demanding a new Rom: Spaceknight comic without Rom: Spaceknight in it?

Turns out, no one. Marvel just needs to publish something with Rom: Spaceknight (or at least his supporting cast – see previous parenthetical), to assert their copyright. Doesn’t matter that they have no actual plans for Rom: Spaceknight, and don’t particularly care about Rom: Spaceknight. But if they don’t assert that copyright, some other comic company might snap it up.

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Actually, it’s the trademark – copyrights are time limited (barely) but trademarks are good indefinitely as long as you protect and assert them. If you think there is any chance you might want to use the trademark down the road, you have to publicly assert it periodically, and defend it against people trying to take it over.

So, that’s something I never quite understood; exactly what right is a company asserting with these actions? The right to produce a new Rom: Spaceknight comic, or the right to merchandise Rom: Spaceknight?

(I swear, some dude with a Google Alert for Rom: Spaceknight must think it’s Christmas right now)